Carassius cuvieri

Carassius cuvieri
Japanese (white) crucian carp
Japanese (white) crucian carp
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Carassius
Species: C. cuvieri
Binomial name
Carassius cuvieri
Temminck & Schlegel, 1846[1]
Synonyms [2]
  • C. auratus caviers Temminck & Schlegel, 184
  • C. auratus cuvieri Temminck & Schlegel, 1846
  • C. carassius cuvieri Temminck & Schlegel, 1846

Carassius cuvieri, the Japanese crucian carp or white crucian carp, is a species in the genus Carassius. It is found in Japan and, as an introduced species, in Taiwan.[3] This fish is closely related to the commonly known goldfish.

The original wild species unique to Lake Biwa is called gengorō-buna (ゲンゴロウブナ (源五郎鮒)), and is listed as an endangered species in the Japanese Red Data Book.[4] There is a larger cultivated variant, with a taller body depth known as hera-buna (ヘラブナ) developed from the original species, cultured in the Osaka area and now released in many areas for sports fishing. It is enjoyed for catch-and-release,[5] since it is not prized for eating.

The gengorō-buna is being used as a substitute for the depleted stock of nigoro-buna (Carassius auratus grandoculis) in the preparation of the intense-smelling fermented local dish (funazushi) due to the nigoro-buna's falling numbers.

References

  1. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2006). "Carassius cuvieri" in FishBase. April 2006 version.
  2. fishbase
  3. Shao, Kwang-Tsao. "Carassius cuvieri". The Fish Database of Taiwan. WWW Web electronic publication. Version 2009/1. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  4. Search system of Japanese Red Data
  5. "Chikumagawa dictionary:herabuna". Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism. Retrieved April 4, 2012., Also discussed in ja:ヘラブナ
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